The present invention is directed to the field of horseshoes. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a pitching shoe with conventional size, shape and weight which is made of conventional or man-made rubber or blends of the two.
Horseshoe pitching is a popular past time which is centuries old, finding its roots in an ancient Grecian game called “Quoits”. Rubber shoes have been made to introduce children to the sport and, typically, have a curved shape similar to a pitching shoe but do not have a similar weight, nor do they have the traditional shape (toe cleats nor grip cleat) of a standard pitching shoe.
Horseshoe pitching with conventional metal shoes is virtually banned from all state correctional institutions for the obvious reason that a metallic shoe also makes an excellent weapon. The present invention provides an elastomeric shoe of conventional or man-made rubber or blends thereof, which have conventional size, weight and shape to enable shoe pitching to be re-introduced into correctional facilities. The preferred formulation used to produce the pitching shoe of the present invention comprises high density rubber, plastics, or other polymer compounds with specific gravity exceeding 1.9 including, but not limited to: neoprene, natural rubber, SBR, natural/SBR blend, or other natural or synthetic rubbers and rubber blends, and plastics which include high density fillers compounded into or mixed with the base plastic material. The resulting shoe will weigh between 1.5 and 2.0 pounds and have the same general feel of a conventional metal pitching shoe.
Various other features, advantages, and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent after a reading of the following detailed description.